Problem
• The second act of Speed-the-Plow is set entirely in Gould's apartment. It begins with Karen passionately reading from the "Radiation book." She claims that the book is a profound work and tries to convince Gould of its importance. What is Gould's response? Why is his response a dramatic irony and a reversal that shifts the conflict and contributes to the rising action of the play?
• Explain the how the third act is a reversal of the reversal in act two. What does the final climax of the third act indicate about the play's insights regarding art, commerce, and power in Hollywood?